Results 161-180 of 6,688 for speaker:Neasa Hourigan

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: 65. To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to review the 10% threshold for heating, electricity and broadband bills on which employees can claim tax relief when working from home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32034/20]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: 118. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to recent reports of the demolition of Palestinian homes in Masafer Yatta on the West Bank that had been funded by EU member states including Irish Aid; his views on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31815/20]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Dental Services (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: 222. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is no provision of general anaesthetic services for small children accessing dental health services in Dublin North City CHO9; his plans to address same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31777/20]

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: I thank the witnesses for coming in this afternoon. I will try to make my questions as succinct as possible in order to get through as much as we can. I will begin with the numbers in the accounts that relate to the rental of temporary school accommodation. I am sure everyone in the room could name a long list of schools in his or her area that have some sort of long-term temporary...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: The spend is increasing. Has the Department undertaken a comparative analysis between that use of funds and reducing the time it takes to build capital projects?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: I am aware of those issues.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: I have a question that relates specifically to the provision of those kinds of services. The accounts refer to expenditure of €29.5 million. How is that figure distributed between suppliers of units such as prefabs? What percentage of that spend goes to the top three suppliers? I assume there is a competitive process. I do not think I need to ask about that. Who are the top three...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: We will come back to the properties and buildings. I have a separate question about them. How many suppliers does the Department use for prefab units? Is there a competitive process?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: I thank Mr. Loftus. Returning to rental accommodation, we are all aware of the prefabs issue. Children throughout the country are sitting in prefabs that are older and not fit for purpose. There are also schools like Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire across the river from us in Parnell Square that have been in rental buildings for years. I considered this school for my own child. It is...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: That is not really relevant to a discussion of buildings that have been rented for a very long time. Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire has been in that accommodation for decades.

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: What is the longest-standing rental agreement for temporary accommodation that is currently in place?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: A note on subhead A15 states "A supplementary of €8 million current expenditure was approved for this subhead to provide for additional temporary school accommodation costs". If the figure for spending on rented accommodation was €26.2 million in 2018 and €29.5 million in 2019, can the officials clarify where the €8 million supplement fits?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: I thank Mr. Ó Foghlú. I will move on to the schools remediation programme. We are mostly talking about Western Building Systems here. What have the remediation costs been so far, and how much higher does the Department expect them to run?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: I have been involved in construction projects with the Department before. Has the Department looked back on that process to ensure that it does not happen again?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: I am going to move on to overpayments and paper payslips. In 2018 and 2019, approximately 45,000 people were in receipt of approximately €5 million in overpayments. What is the value of overpayments that has been written off by the Department? Why do these overpayments persist? Are controls in place to prevent such issues happening? What has the Department done to prevent a...

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: So right now, does everybody get a payslip?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: Is that every two weeks?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: So, is it fair to say that the majority of that €13.8 million is spent on payslips going out to people every two weeks?

Public Accounts Committee: 2018 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: Does anyone know the answer to that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in Acute and Community Care Settings: Discussion (21 Oct 2020)

Neasa Hourigan: I wish to ask Ms Ní Sheaghdha about advanced nurse practitioners. There was brief reference to it in her opening statement but not a great deal. My question has three parts. What is the status of the 2% target of advanced nurse practitioners? We were just talking about public health nursing and how we can optimise that through postgraduate qualifications, bursaries and more local...